Plastic Fantastic

Plastic Man #1 (Dec 1966)

Not quite a grail book, but Plastic Man #1 (Dec 1966, DC Comics) is a comic I've wanted for a while. One of my first comics was a coverless copy of #11 from this series, which I have since re-acquired, with an attached cover. After snagging #1 and #19 during SDCC, I now have 10 out of the 20 issues of this run.

Where does this land in Plastic Man history? Well, Plas first appeared in Police Comics #1 (Aug 1941). He didn't get his own series till later, and there have been multiple series named for him. The CLZ app refers to this run as Plastic Man Vol. 1 while Comic Book Realm considers it Vol. 2. The earlier run by Vital Comics / Quality Comics Group (1943-1956) is Plastic Man Vol. 1 at the Realm, while CLZ files the series under the moniker of Plastic Man (Quality Comics). I'll probably never own any of those QCC books, or Police Comics for that matter. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

Anyway, this issue has the 1st appearance of the Silver Age Plastic Man (Eel O'Brian Jr), considered the son of the Golden Age Plastic Man (Eel O'Brien). After 1977, the son is all but forgotten, and DC Comics focuses on Eel O'Brien. 

Well, that's not entirely correct. The "Jr." version of Plastic Man's son is gone, but he got a son called Offspring in The Kingdom: Offspring #1 (1999), and JLA #65 (June 2002) gave Offspring the civilian name of Luke Ernie "Loogie" McDunnagh O'Brian (Luke O'Brian for short). 

The New Gods #6 (2024): And Then There Is The Darkness

There may be some who dislike the change in art throughout THE NEW GODS #6, but I felt that the Racer's story in this issue was quite beautiful. 

Image: The New Gods #6, bottom panel of digital page 9. 

Text in the Racer's three word balloons: 

• The concerns of the living are for you no more. There are many perils between here and the end of our journey. 
• Unborn and unliving concepts roam the Waiturnum current. Ready to devour the real, the existing, to imbibe some of their essence -- to break through into the world outside. 
• And then there is the darkness.

This issue is, apparently, the first appearance of the Waiturnum, some kind of continuum or channel beyond the dimensions that living beings know.

Tara Normal

 

"What an excellent day for an exorcism." So says this unnamed priest in a panel from TARA NORMAL #1 by Howie Noel (July 2013). 

I've been going through my backlog of Comixology books on Kindle, and I just thought this panel was hilarious.

Image: A comic panel in which a priest is driving a car. We can see his face in profile, as well as his collar and his left arm. The driver's side window is also visible. The priest's word balloon says, "What an excellent day for an exorcism." Through his driver's side window, one can see it is raining, and read a welcome sign that he must be driving past-- "Welcome to St. Catherine of Siena Hospital for the Insane."

A Transformed Impression

I'm really not a Transformers fan. But I somehow had a digital copy of Transformers: Autocracy - Collected Edition in my Kindle library. I'm guessing I had a special deal or a discount code back in the days of Comixology. So, I read it. And I enjoyed it. The art is fantastic, and it is a well plotted origin story of the Autobot/Decepticon conflict. But more than fleshing out the background of the conflict, this 12-chapter run provides an origin story of Autobot leader Optimus Prime (from humble origins as Autobot officer Orion Pax). 

It's also kind of inspiring in how Optimus Prime learns about oneness and freedom.

Here are pages 85 and 86 from the collected edition.

Transformers: Autocracy – Collected, p85
(Prime in the Undergrid, finding the Matrix)

Transformers: Autocracy – Collected, p86
("I am Optimus Prime, and I have a world to set free.")

Prez Was Prescient

 

"With the election in chaos and a Congress mired in corruption, Twitter sensation @corndoggirl becomes the first teenaged President of the United States!"

Damn if that just doesn't mirror politics-as-reality-TV that we've suffered through since 2016. Interestingly, the above quote is a description of the second Prez comics series (Prez, Vol. 2), which ran from August 2015 through February 2016. The 2015-2016 series was an update of the 1973-1974 comic series (Prez, Vol. 1). Both series were published by DC Comics. Probably the most direct connection between those comics and modern day politics, whether the 1970s or post-2016, is the shady businessman Boss Smiley, a political boss with a smiley face for a head who appears in both series.  

Sure, the second series is a more direct satire on modern politics, what with it intertwining social media, particularly the former bird app, with elections. Considering the past few months, that take kinda makes the second series feel prescient, no?

---

Image description (for collage at top of post): Starting in the top left and moving clockwise, we have the cover for Prez, Vol. 1 #1 (1973); a panel from that issue featuring Boss Smiley; cover of Prez, Vol. 2 #2; and the vol 2 version of Boss Smiley. 

Absolutely Martian

I don't know if it's my favorite (yet) of the Absolute universe, but the opening volley of Absolute Martian Manhunter definitely made a case for it. 

Strong concept.

Excellent script. 

Fantastic art. 

Oh, and this issue absolutely (heh) makes a case for owning and reading the comic in paper rather than digital format. I won't spoil why I say that.

Absolute Martian Manhunter #1 is currently on the stands. 

Creative team:

• Deniz Camp (writer)
• Javier Rodríguez (artist, colorist)
• Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (letterer)
• Katie Kubert (editor)

Description of images used in this post: 

1. Top of post: Absolute Martian Manhunter logo in gren.
2. Bottom of post: A page from Absolute Martian Manhunter #1. Agent Jones is experiencing strange, colorful smoke that no one else seems to notice.

Superman ... and Metamorpho!

So, the teaser trailer for SUPERMAN (2025) came out today. For the most part, I'm trying to remain cautiously optimistic about the upcoming film. But two scenes in the trailer do ratchet up my potential excitement for the film, and both of them tease the first live-action appearance of ... Metamorpho the Element Man!

Writer Bob Haney and artist Ramona Fradon co-created Metamorpho in 1965. He has been a solo hero as well as a member of several teams, including the Justice League. 

Image description: Two screen grabs from the SUPERMAN teaser trailer and a comic book scan. Top left is a screen grab showing the Stagg Industries logo above Superman (Metamorpho worked for Simon Stagg in the comics). Bottom left is a screen grab showing a closeup of Metamorpho. Image to the right is a scan of The Brave & The Bold Vol. 1 #58, the second appearance of Metamorpho. 

Operation: Jail the Justice League!

The above image is a two-page spread of the Justice Leaguers triumphing over a bunch of crooks. It is from a story titled "Operation: Jail the Justice League!" 

I first read that story in the treasury-sized DC Limited Collectors's Edition presents SUPER FRIENDS # C- 41 (1976). In that book, the story is told as a flashback to Wendy and Marvin of the Super Friends TV series:

But it originally appeared in Justice League of America Vol 1 #61 (March 1968). As a kid in the mid-1970s, I did not know older stories were reprinted. I probably didn't even care. So, why am I writing about "Operation: Jail the Justice League!" today? Well, I now own a copy of that 1968 comic. Picked up issues #61 and #65 for my collection this week! 

Happy collecting! 

Super Finale

Tyler Hoechlin (L) as Superman and Elizabeth Tulloch (R) as Lois Lane; they are standing in profile in front of a rubble-strewn street.
[From Superman & Lois]

Well, that happened. And by "that" I mean the series finale of Superman & Lois (2021-2024). By now, there have been numerous posts and reviews, many of which addressing this series' position as the final comic book inspired show on CW, musing on the quality of the show, sharing glimpses of the work behind the scenes, and probably spoiling key moments for folks who have not yet viewed the episode. 

I'm not doing any of that. 

Well, I'm probably offering a bit of a spoiler here. So, if you are among those who have not viewed the episode which aired two nights ago, stop reading. And definitely do not scroll down to the second image in this post. Go watch the show and then come back here.

Ready?

I love that the reveal of the Super Family – Superman flying with his costumed sons as well as Steel and his daughter (Starlight) – shows the creative team paid attention to the source material... the comics. First, Jordan and John are differentiated by one's emphasis on red and the other on blue. This echoes not only an imaginary tale from Superman in which Supes was split into Red and Blue counterparts (Superman Vol. 1 #162), but also when DC comics brought the split into modern canon by creating the electrified Superman Red and Superman Blue (circa 1998 in Superman Red/Superman Blue #1 and Superman Vol. 2 #132).

Second, because Jordan and Jonathan are Superboys – Superboy Red and Superboy Blue, if you will – their uniforms reflect two different iterations of the Superboy character in the comics. Just look closely at their respective uniforms. Jordan's outfit looks very much like the New 52 Superboy while Jonathan's very much aligns with that of the 1990s Superboy who launched during the Reign of the Supermen storyline and then got his own series. Also, please note my reason for saying that Jonathan's uniform aligns with the 1990 design: It is because he, wisely, does not use the leather jacket or sunglasses (though the alt-universe Jonathan did sport the jacket). The other difference between comics and this TV series was that both of the comic book Superboys were clones, while Jordan and Jonathan in the series are the actual sons of Clark and Lois. 

So, here is an image capture of that in-flight scene from the finale along with a few comic covers to show what I think were some inspirations for the show's creative team:

Super Family in flight and the covers of four comic books that might have influenced the scene. 

Anyway, I loved the TV series and I'm sad it had to end to make room for the upcoming cinematic rebirth of Superman. 

Plastastic!

 As a Plastic Man fan, I just cannot get over how PLASTASTIC this is!

Image: Screenshot of a post I saw on the bird app. The post showcases a comic shop's new ramp, which is painted to look like Plastic Man, a shapeshifting character from DC Comics, has formed himself into a ramp. 

Dead Boy Detectives - Netflix

I’m going to start with the paw rating for this one

4 paws and a tail for one cat and

4 paws and a tail for another cat

One for each dead boy detective

This show is spectacular. 

I was sad when we found out that the actors from Doom Patrol were not cast in this Netflix show but, no offense to those actors at all, but … this crew is phenomenal. I am 100% in love with all of them. They are a wonderful family of misfits and I want to be adopted by them so much!

I absolutely adore the relationship between Charles and Edwin and then how Crystal and Niko fit in along with Jenny. Simply superb relationships and the most intense love between people. 

The show is quite violent and even gory at times but it can’t distract me from the incredible personal stories and the incredible relationships between the main group of characters. 

Here’s hoping for a season two. 

The Marvels - Disney +

 

Three incredible actresses portraying three incredible characters. I absolutely loved all the scenes between the three leads. I hope they had as much fun together as it looked like in the film.

I loved how the movie fit into the timeline and it was good to see enough exposition to know what was going on for each character. 

I definitely loved the fangirling Ms. Marvel did over Captain Marvel. It was so real and true to her character and also felt like she was us in the movie. What a joy Iman Vellani is in the movie and from her own series. 

I was also thrilled to see Goose again  I loved how integral the cat was to this story 😉 Quite the clever storyline and use of the adorable cat.

There was really only one major part of the movie I didn’t like and it definitely didn’t seem to fit but overall I enjoyed the story. I’d love to see more of The Marvels working together in future movies. The three women were just amazing together. 

3 paws

Locke and Key - Netflix

 

I have had this on our list probably since the first season (2020). I only know the title and that it was a popular comic book series. We finally started it the other week and we flew threw the 3 seasons as fast as we could. What an incredibly unique story and show.

I adored Jackson Robert Scott as Bode, he was perfection and we already came in to the show with a love for Connor Jessup (Tyler) from seeing him in Falling Skies and even getting to meet him at SDCC during a signing. But the definite showstopper was Emilia Jones as Kinsey. Holy Moly did that girl have a lot to do and she was spectacular. I LOVED how the 3 siblings stuck together and the love between them was easily felt. 

Darby Stanchfield as the mom Nina was incredible. She had quite the roller coaster of story line and she played it beautifully and realistically. 

We were also pleased to see Aaron Ashmore as Duncan. The Ashmore brothers are two of our favorite actors and I would say we have always loved the shows we have seen them in throughout the years. This was no exception and it may even be one of our most favorite roles yet.

Petrice Jones as Scot was a joy. His voice and accent were just wonderful and he was an excellent anchor for many parts of the story. Coby Bird as Rufus was also just a lovely character and portrayed so well by Coby. 

As I scroll through IMDB to get the correct actor names, I realize I could write something great about each actor/character. This was a well rounded show for acting and story telling. I had a friend say they just couldn't get into the 2nd season but I can't see how. We LOVED the second season. We just rolled through it all in one day.

I definitely don't see any loss of interest or story by having not read the source material... and neither has Brainwise (shocking that we have a second show that Brainwise didn't know). Of course that almost makes it more fun to watch because he has to guess too as we go along.

I will state that season 3 is not 100% the same as the first two seasons and now after reading the differences between the show and the comics, we know why. It doesn't mean it is bad by any means, it is just different and there is a reason. I don't like to give anything away if possible, so I will not say any more :)

I just love how unique this show is and how great the actors portray their characters. I would actually watch this whole series again and as you know this is usually my meter on how good something is. 

4 paws

Old Guard - Netflix

 

I had no idea what this movie was about, of course it’s been about 3 years since this was released. I didn’t even remember it was based on a comic book until Brainwise started saying how different scenes looked like the book. 

The number one thing I will say about this movie is that it is ULTRA violent. I mean ULTRA violent. There was quite a lot that I didn’t watch because it was just too much. 

Charlize Theron looked incredible and was superb in this role. The story was very interesting and we found out that a second movie may be coming. I look forward to the story but maybe not the violence. 

Again it was good to see a female main character and a bad a$$ one at that. Kiki Layne was awesome and also very bad a$$ too. I also adored the scene between two of the male characters expressing their love for each other while in quite a bind with the bad guys. 

Such a very different story and incredibly interesting.

3 paws

Paper Girls - Amazon Prime

 

I know this is based on an excellent comic book but I have not read it nor do I know anything about it. But the main characters are girls and I know it is a popular story so I added it to our watch list last year. 

I am so glad I did. What an excellent series!! The girls were fantastic and the story was extra wild but really good. I didn’t have any issue trying to follow along with the story and while I may have missed some tie ins from the comic book series I don’t think it was anything critical. 

It’s good that I felt satisfaction with the ending since it will not have a second season. Not that I wouldn’t watch more if they had gone on but I felt closure with the story as told. 

The casting was incredible. I easily believed the versions we were shown and I wonder how the actors felt looking at versions of themselves. 

The music in this series was awesome too! Lots of "oldies but goodies" :) 

4 paws

American Born Chinese

 

Disney Plus

What a purely amazing and excellent series. I wanted to watch this from the moment I knew it existed. I did not know there was source material but once I knew that, I was even more intrigued.

I loved it! Each character and actor was perfect, I want to be their friends. 

I loved the family, the comics, the friends, the story, the filming, simply everything. I recommend this 1000000%. I believe there will be a second season, I will be there to watch it first thing. 

I absolutely loved the 2 main male characters. They played their roles to perfection. I was blown away by how much they portrayed real teenagers and all that it entails but also while portraying other roles that make up the story. I would love to go to their school.

4 paws

DC League of Super-Pets

 

You can find this on HBO Max....errrr Max... hmmmm sounds like a dog's name... that's appropriate :)

Anyway, we dove into this animated movie recently. I was excited for it and while it was good, I wasn't as blown away as I hoped to be. I did love that Krypto was voiced by Dwayne Johnson "The Rock" and Ace was voiced by Kevin Hart. This match up was perfect for their characters and they both were perfect in the roles.

I loved the created family aspect of this movie of course and the fact that it was animals becoming the family made me even happier. Overall though it was lacking something or maybe it had too much of nothing. 

I am interested to know if kids liked this one. I wonder if they got some of the actual comic book references or if it was all over their heads. I am not sure if this movie is for kids or adults or just comic book readers or maybe that's the problem, they didn't know who to make the movie for in the end. Well that makes it sound terrible and it wasn't that but simply put I doubt I would watch it again.

2 paws

Good Omens - Season One

Amazon prime is where you can find this Neil Gaiman goodie. 

Although I wasn’t as enthralled as I expected through the first two episodes, it did find its footing with me as it went along. I felt like I was watching Monty Python and while I like some of their shows, there are some parts I don't like and I worried about this when it first started. But I hung in there and as I said, it did get better for me and I ended up enjoying it.

The kids were incredible and I feel like they had to really push themselves in their roles as they had very difficult tasks and stories to move through. I adored the relationship between Aziraphale and Crowley and I am sure this is why so many of my friends love this series ;)

I would definitely caution anyone who is easily offended religiously and possibly even generally. This is quite a heavy story and covers many controversial topics. It think overall though it can lead to many good conversations about religion, good and evil and what it means to be a human being.

I have never read the story that any of this is based on but I know Neil Gaiman is a brilliant storyteller so I know we will be watching season 2.

3 paws

And don't forget to check out The Hillywood Show's pardoy of Good Omens on YouTube after you watch the first season!!

Antman and Wasp: Quantumania

 

Second of three movies of our Memorial Day Weekend.

Much better than Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Paul Rudd is one of my favorites and he continues this love here. 

I love that his daughter is older now and a main character in the movie. She is funny and and excellent addition to the cast and story. 

Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas were excellent and I loved their story. It was great to see them in action, literally. It was good to get some background on Janet Van Dyne's time in the Quantum Realm. 

It was also great to see Katy O'Brian, who we love on many other shows, get a large and critical role in the movie as Jentorra. 

If you want a high action, fast paced movie, this is for you. And if you are a completist of Marvel movies, this is a must watch. 

3 paws

 

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

 

First of three movies of our Memorial Day Weekend.

Wow this was not as fun as I wanted it to be. I loved the first movie but I just could not get into this one. I had a difficult time with the characters all being older but they kept acting like the were the youngsters from the first movie when they went into superhero mode. It was very odd.

I also wasn't sold on the story for some reason. Although it was nice to have three incredible women as the main "villans" of the story: Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler. They all looked like the enjoyed being supervillans and having powers.

Overall though, Steve and the unicorns were the best part of this movie.

1 paw